Low pressure hose failure

[Water Bug]

Hearing about the time frame to an empty tank in this situation scares me. I had the same failure (LP hose disconnect at the 1st stage - which is apparantly rare?) while on the surface prior to giant stride entry. I turned my head and when it disconnected it was so loud it rung my bell!
I am happy it happened at the surface and also happy for you that your buddy was there for you. Thanks for sharing - maybe I do need that pony!

 

[beanojones]

It is enough to make you give pause. You either want a redundant air supply, a very reliable buddy or the ability to do a free ascent to the surface. The latter is not usually an option if you are anywhere near the NDL's as a 3 minute safety stop is more or less mandatory.

That's makes me wonder: Did the thread starter story end with a safety stop?

(Did doing a safety stop sharing air make you wish your buddy had a looong hose on his shared second stage?)

Stupid instructor story: When we went diving off the clock, we always hung a 50 at the safety stop. Unfortunately, we all generally stopped our dives when we were actually out of air. And being instructors, we were diving solo. Which usually meant that there would be three or four of us buddy breathing off the 50, since we were all out of air.

Remember: Plan your dive, dive your plan.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Stupid instructor story: When we went diving off the clock, we always hung a 50 at the safety stop. Unfortunately, we all generally stopped our dives when we were actually out of air. And being instructors, we were diving solo. Which usually meant that there would be three or four of us buddy breathing off the 50, since we were all out of air.

Yeah you're right, that was pretty stupid.


Note that crimping the hose wouldn't do anything if the failure was at the connection between the first stage and the hose itself. Crimping the hose would only help if the issue was 'downstream' of the crimp (a second stage freeflowing uncontrollably for example).

 

[bygolly]

49thdiver....glad you are around to tell us about this. And kudos to your buddy for their quick action.

Can you breathe off a failed HP hose?
Stick your pinky in it?

Now I did hear one fellow bragging just lately that he regularly practices breathing directly from the opened valve on a tank. "Oh yeah...its easy...just catch the bubbles man". (no..he wasn't Mike Nelson) Even if it could be done I'm not sure that even in my drunkest moment I would try. I can't imagine any situation where one would need to attempt to breathe from a failed HP hose (because for one you would, I assume, have a perfectly working 2nd stage in your mouth). With the tiny amount of air that leaks from those things you would simply abort the dive and continue with a safe ascent to the surface. But I am digressing.

I see you were kidding about the breathing thing or sticking the pinky in it but don't know if all other readers noticed the smiley. The pressures that exist in a HP hose will readily inject air into human tissue if pressed hard enough against the skin. It could also happen from the LP hose as well. Now an air injection injury is bad enough at 1 atmosphere, imagine the damage done if that occurs at 2 ATA or 3...you have to go up sometime. Things will get a little uncomfortable (and larger) on the ascent. My wife (a physician) has seen injection injuries from things such as shop compressors and the like....you don't want to go there! So in a nutshell...keep your hands away from air leaks HP or LP and look to your buddy or your redundant supply for the way up.

 

[Zinc]

While a bit cheesy, this video provides examples of both low / high pressure hoses cut and the time it takes each to drain gas from the tank

Scuba Diving Videos Cutting a Divers Hose Scuba Videos

 

[InTheDrink]

Bygolly, a) yes I was joking but b) I'd had a couple of glasses of wine and was getting my H's mixed up with my L's.

My main question was what are your options if you LP fails in the way the OP describes. Not many from what I'm hearing: buddy, pony or ICBM. Maybe crimping the hose if the damage is downstream.

Irrespective, good advice about the dangers of air injection from either.

Thanks,
John

 

[drdaddy]

Thank you for sharing - it's good to hear how fast air can be gone with a low pressure hose failure!

I almost always dive with a 13 cu foot (for 50 ft or less dives) or 19 cu foot pony with spare reg. The places I don't/can't is when I go on tour. The I latch onto my buddy and we watch out for each other. My best buddy is my PADI Instructor son - we don't ever intend to lose each other. In fact, I'll take him over a pony any day (if I had to chose, but I'd rather have both ).

However, I've gone diving with numerous buddies that I watch over quite carefully, but I don't trust them with me - so therefore the pony with reg.

You've reinforced this precaution. However, don't rely on it - come up with plenty of air. At 70 ft and 800, I would have been on my way up. I come up from 50 ft at 750, so it sounds like you are a conservative diver as well and were preparing to come up.

William

 

[tfsails]

Looking at the OP's picture of his hose, I'd venture to think that maybe the hose deteriorated from the inside out and maybe the swedge failed due to the hose material's not being sufficient to keep it together under pressure. The swedge looks good and so does the barb. Just a thought. I could well be wrong.

Others were right about kinking the hose like you would a leaky garden hose. In this instance it wouldn't work because the failure was right at the end that screws into the first stage.

 

[Salmonboy97]

I was just about to be the first diver off the dive boat in Jamaica when my HP hose exploded. Luckly the DM had brought a few extra octos and I quickly changed over and didnt have to sit out the dive.
The hose broke right behind the crimped fitting at the first stage. The air was shut off very quickly so there wasnt any significant loss of gas. I was very glad it happened above the surface!

 

[bernieol]

I had rented gear in Key Largo for some shallow diving. As I was getting ready to enter the water, the LP hose blew. It sounds like a gun going off right next to your head.

After that happened I ask the boat captian how much time (at depth) would one have to get to the surface...we didn't consider what your starting psi would be when the event happened Thanks for the equipment failure test results...they are very helpful!

I was (and still am a recreational diver)....lots of good reminders here (plan your dive and dive your plan, etc.)

Thanks. Bernie